Avoiding Temptation (Avoiding 3)

And Lexi agreed with her on that. It was always Jack—her Jack.

Dinner came and went without Lexi getting a chance to ask Jack about what he had been up to. She eyed him, trying to get him to spill, but he just smiled and squeezed her hand under the table. If he was bound and determined to hold it back, she might as well let him keep his surprise to himself. She would find out in good time.

“Did you get my message?” Jack whispered when Adam and Chyna were seriously invested in another intimate debate. “You never responded.”

“Message? No. I checked my phone right before you got here. When did you send it?”

“Right before I walked into the room.”

Lexi held up her finger and dug her phone back out. Yep. There was a missed message from Jack.

3 o’clock.

Lexi giggled. “You were checking me out.”

The last time she had gotten a text message like that was when she had been in college, and he had seen her from across the bar. That night had been the spark that they needed to end up back together. And they had kept ending up together for years after that.

“How could I not?”

“You’re silly. I could never forget that night.”

“I could never forget you.”

Her phone buzzed in her hand just as she was putting it away, and she clicked on the email that had come in.

Huh. It was from Cierra.

Cierra had been sad to hear about Lexi breaking up with Ramsey, but she had understood Lexi’s side on the whole thing. Lexi was lucky to still have her as a friend even though she worked for Bridges. Cierra was going to be a bridesmaid for Lexi after all.

The email appeared before her eyes, and as Lexi skimmed the intro, she immediately started laughing.

“What?” Chyna asked, coming out of her argument with Adam.

“Oh, you’ll never believe this,” Lexi said, covering her mouth to keep from laughing hysterically as she read through the article attached to the email.

“Atlanta Lifestyle magazine has a full-page spread about none other than the Bitch herself,” Lexi announced.

“Bekah?” Jack asked softly.

“What is Atlanta Lifestyle magazine?” Chyna asked.

“It’s the richie-rich Atlanta magazine,” Jack explained with a shrug. “All the country clubbers read it religiously. Bekah has had a subscription her whole life. Basically your page six.”

“Oh,” Chyna said, turning her nose up. “So, what does it say?”

Lexi turned her phone around and showed off the picture. It was a clearly unstable Bekah lunging at Lexi with her arms outstretched in front of her and her father holding her back. She looked ready to murder Lexi. Luckily, only the back of Lexi’s head was visible or else it wouldn’t have been as hilarious.

“It briefly mentions the divorce proceedings going wrong for her. The majority of it deals with her cheating with Clark and the destruction of her golden-girl reputation. And get this part,” Lexi said, turning the phone back to herself and reading a part of it. “Due to the humiliation endured against the famous Bridges name and her inability to handle her own finances, an anonymous source has leaked to us that Bekah’s trust fund has been frozen, and her active role as Bridges Enterprise vice president has been revoked until further notice.”

“Wow,” Jack whispered. “She’s got to be mortified.”

“Yeah,” Lexi said, seeing the concern on Jack’s face. “I’m sorry. I mean…I still hate her, but I’m sorry it all happened like this.”

“You know, she was the first person to ever cheat on me,” Jack said offhand.

“I know.”

“Well, personally, I think that crazy bitch got what was coming to her,” Chyna said. “She was pretty dreadful to everyone.”

Lexi reached over and grabbed Jack’s hand.

He smiled at Lexi and agreed, “She was, wasn’t she?”

“Yes. I think this calls for a toast in fact,” Chyna said, raising her glass into the air.

Lexi loved the way her best friend diffused tension…with alcohol.

“What are we toasting to?” Adam asked, jumping in with his wife.

“To being free,” Chyna said.

Lexi laughed, remembering the time when she had boarded Chyna’s jet to escape the world with those same words ringing true. “No,” Lexi said. “To closure.”

Chyna winked at her as Jack and Adam raised their glasses as well.

Just before they clinked their glasses together, Jack added, “To new beginnings.”

They finished off their wine, and a heavy buzz began setting in on the conversation. As her treat, Chyna insisted on paying the entire tab even though everyone tried to argue with her, but really, there wasn’t a way to argue with Chyna.

Lexi half-stumbled down the stairs and back out of the building. Jack had his arm around her waist and helped support her unsteady legs as they exited into the chilly evening.

“I think we’re going to head back,” Jack told Chyna with a smile.

“Now?” Lexi asked. “But the night has just started.”

“It’ll be worth it,” he whispered into her ear. “I’m still dying to get my hands on you again.”

Lexi giggled and nodded. “Yeah, okay. Let’s go.”

“Cool,” Chyna said, waving the comments away. “You should take the town car. We’ll take the next cab.”

Her eyes wide, Lexi stared at Chyna. Never once had Chyna ever offered up her town car when they were separating. Chyna would rather drive Lexi halfway around the city before getting back to her own place than give it up.

So, this could only mean that Chyna knew what Jack had up his sleeve.

Adam pulled open the door for Lexi and Jack to step into the car. Jack went in first, so Lexi wouldn’t have to scoot over in her dress.

Lexi grabbed Chyna’s hand. “What is going on?” she whispered, hoping Chyna would dish.

“You’ll thank me later, chica. Have a nice night,” she said, fluttering her fingers at Lexi.

Lexi leaned into Jack in the back of Chyna’s town car. She didn’t even bother asking where they were going because she knew that if Chyna hadn’t spilled the beans, then Jack certainly wasn’t. Lexi occupied herself on the drive with the weight of his hand against hers, the roughness of his palms against her smooth skin, and the way his seemed to dwarf her tiny hands. Yet, they still fit perfectly together. It made her smile.